Alarm systems, such as fire alarm and security systems, typically include one or more alarm panels that receive information from various sensors and that control various appliances distributed through a structured (or monitored) area. For example, a fire alarm system may include a plurality of initiating devices (e.g., smoke detectors, manually-actuated pull stations, contact switches, motion detectors, etc.) as well as notification appliances (e.g., strobes, sirens, public announcement systems, etc.) operably connected to one or more alarm panels.
During operation of the alarm system, the alarm panel may monitor electrical signals associated with the initiating (e.g., “point”) devices for variations that may represent the occurrence of an alarm condition. For example, a variation in a particular electrical signal may represent the detection of smoke by a smoke detector in a corresponding area, or “zone,” of a structure in which the smoke detector is located, and may cause the alarm panel to enter an alarm mode. The alarm panel may be configured to respond to such a condition by initiating certain predefined actions, such as activating one or more of the notification appliances within the monitored structure.
The alarm panel may also be configured to forward alarm data to a central monitoring station (CMS) of an alarm monitoring company or service. Data outputted by the alarm panel toward the central monitoring station 20 may include both safety-type alarm data (e.g., concerning fire, smoke, intrusion, chemical, biohazard, panic and medical incidents; alarm on activated; alarm on deactivated) and non-safety-type alarm data (e.g., door/window opened/closed; motion-detected; motion video captured; keypad code entry; key fob detected entering monitored area; key fob detected leaving monitored area; cell phone detected entering monitored area; cell phone detected leaving monitored area). The central monitoring station may be contracted to provide safety-type alarm monitoring and reporting to its contracting subscribers, and thus the central monitoring station may be interested only in a limited subset of the data. For example, the central monitoring station may process and report only the safety-type alarm data, while ignoring or discarding the remaining (e.g., the non-safety-type alarm) data.
However, it is believed that typical alarm monitoring subscribers may be interested in further receiving reporting of non-safety-type alarm events, in addition to reporting of safety-type alarm events. That is, so as long as a cost for doing so is reasonably priced to the subscribers. Further, while the subscribers may be disinterested in receiving reporting of each-and-every non-safety-type alarm event (given that a tremendous number of non-safety-type alarm events may occur in a given day), it is believed that subscribers may instead be interested in an arrangement in which reporting of specific types of non-safety-type alarm events is selectable by the subscriber.
For example, a subscriber may be disinterested in receiving reporting of every door, window, motion detector alarm event, but may be interested in receiving reporting of certain door, window and motion detector alarm events. As one example, assume the existence of a secluded unused basement in a residential home, and assume that the homeowner is at home and the alarm system is presently unarmed. Further, assume that both safety-type alarm events and non-safety-type alarm events are communicable events which are communicated from the alarm panel to the central monitoring station. While a basement door, window or motion detector alarm event might be considered a safety-type alarm event during times when the alarm system is armed, events related to the basement door, window or motion detector might be considered a non-safety-type alarm event and ignored by the central monitoring station during times when the alarm system is unarmed. That is, if an intruder triggered a basement door alarm point by entering the basement and further triggered the motion detector, the basement door opening and basement motion detector events would not be reported by the central monitoring station because such events are not considered safety-type events while the system is unarmed. However, the homeowner may desire that all basement door, window or motion detector alarm events get reported to the homeowner, irrespective of whether the alarm system is armed or disarmed. That is, the homeowner probably would like the ability to select that the basement non-safety-type events also get reported to him/her.